Engineering researcher appointed new director of RIT’s NanoPower Research Laboratory
Alumnus Stephen Polly begins role leading development of materials and devices for power generation
RIT
Stephen Polly
Engineering researcher Stephen Polly ’09 (microelectronic engineering), ’15 Ph.D. (microsystems) was recently appointed director of the RIT NanoPower Research Laboratory (NPRL) and will lead one of the university’s major research groups.
He takes on the new role as former director Seth Hubbard, professor and researcher, begins his role as head of the School of Physics and Astronomy in RIT’s College of Science.
A researcher, engineer, and alumnus, Polly will lead a multidisciplinary team of faculty and student researchers from the College of Science and the Kate Gleason College of Engineering.
Research is focused on the development of new materials and devices for power generation and storage as well as novel materials for photonic and optoelectronic applications, and Polly brings expertise in the area of photovoltaics. His contributions in the optoelectrical materials led to advances in high-resolution x-ray diffraction and light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.
“As the need for alternative energy and power sources grows, the researchers in the NanoPower lab have met these challenges,” said Ryne Raffaelle, vice president for Research and associate provost. “Stephen’s background and expertise in energy advances and his ability to collaborate with industry partners, peer researchers, and our students make him an ideal leader for the next phase of growth in the NanoPower Lab.”
Polly served as manager of operations for the university’s Semiconductor Nanofabrication Lab and directed the RIT III-V EPI Center, a key resource in crystal materials growth required for use in photovoltaics and energy harvesting. Much of his work has been funded through a grant from NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program.
NPRL researchers have impacted areas from space photovoltaics, III–V epitaxial growth, carbon nanotube synthesis, thin film photovoltaics, lithium-ion batteries, and flexible optoelectronics. Since it began, the group collectively has acquired nearly $28 million in funding from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, NASA, and various Defense Department Research Laboratories.
Made up of six distinct lab locations in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering and the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, researchers have available to them new analytical and optoelectronic testing equipment, glovebox system repairs, and modernization of computing and safety infrastructure.
